Rail joint



Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARCHIE W. MCCLARY, F OAKLAND, CALH'ORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO WELDING SERVICE INQ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA RAIL JOINT Application filed December 10, 1928. Serial No.

This invention relates generally to the construction of joints for the rails of railways.

It is an object of this invention to devise a rail joint construction which will give satisfactory service over relatively long'periods of use. Y

' It is a further object of this invention to devise a rail joint construction which will be relatively free from mutilation of the ends of the rails, where the rail ends are in direct abutting contact.

It is a further object of this invention to devise a rail joint construction particularly adapted for use when rail joints are serviced by electrical welding.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which I have set forth the preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents consistent with the state of the prior art.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the Joint shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational detail illustrating a rail joint constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3- is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 4 is a detail of an end portion of one rail, a portion of the ball being shown in cross section.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of cut. a

The various features of my invention will be made clear from the following detailed description: My joint conforms to conventional construction to the extent that I provide a pair of plates or angle irons 10 for securing together a pair of rails 11 and 12. Each rail consists of the usual ball and flanged portions 13 and 14 respectively, joined by a webbed portion 15.

It has been found that the upper surfaces of the rails near the rail ends, are subject to severe wear and tend to become mutilated after a time, particularly where the ends of the rails are retained in close abutting contact. 50 This is due in part to pounding of the wheels of the rolling stock upon the ends of the rails and to relative movement between the rail ends which tends to chip the adjoining edges. To avoid such mutilation I form the end portion of at least one rail, and preferably both rails, somewhat as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus in this instance I provide a layer 17 of metal which is substantially harder and more durable than the metal of which the rails are constructed. The material forming this layer is preferably some hard metal alloy which is applied by electrical welding. It should have suflicient hardness and wear resisting qualities to enable it to withstand the wear more successively than the metal of the rails, but should have sufficient ductility to prevent chipping and fracturing under the pounding to which it is subjected. An example of such an alloy is one consisting of chromium, nickel, iron and carbon. Generally the elements necessary to form such an alloy are providedin a coated welding rod, and by striking anarc between this rod and the surface of the rail, alayer of the desired character can be applied. Welding rods for supplying hard alloy metal of'this kind are well know-n in the art and need not bespecified in detail.

In applying the hard metal alloy layer 17 referred to above, another layer 18 immediately below the layer 17 is heated to a relatively high temperature, particularly where the layer 17 is applied by electrical welding. When the sub-layer 18 has cooled, it is found to be of substantially greater hardness than the remainder 'of the rail, due presumably to the nature of its heat treatment. This sublayer of hard material is an advantage in that it provides a hard foundation for the upper layer 17, thus rendering this upper layer more capable of withstanding severe pounding.

After the layer 17 of hard metal alloy has been applied, the upper surfaces of the rails are refaced and the upper edge of each rail is then cut back as indicated at 19, as by the use of a suitable grinding machine. This cutting back of the rails is preferably done when the rails are in assembled position as shown in Figs. 1 or 2, and is applied equally to both rails to provide a notch 21. While the dimensions of this notch can vary for different conditions and for diiferent rails, in practice its width at the upper surface of the rails can be about 4 inch. It is of sufficient depth to at least separate the edges of layers l7 and also preferably to separate the opposed edges of layers 18.

It has been found that such a notch pre vents mutilation of the rails and thus materially increases the useful life of the joint. 10 The adjacent edges of the layers 17 and 18 fore relative movement between the rails cannot cause these hard layers to be chipped or 'm'utilated. It is also characteristic ofmy invention that the notch 21 extends down only a minor art of the total depth of the ball portions. herefore abutting contact is provided not'only by the web and flange portions 4 14 and 1 5 of each rail, but also by a substan- 2o tial area of the ball portions.

flanges and webs arenot apt to be crushed by excessive compressional stresses due toexpansion of the rails. 1 A slight,- modification of the invention is 25 shown in Fig. 5.. In this'instance in.,place of rovidinga V-shaped slot 21 as shown inigs. 1 and 2,1 provide a slot 22 which is sub stantially rectangular. A slot of this character functions substantially the same as the so V-sha d slot reviously described.

Al ough I ave shown angle irons for securing the rails together, it -is' to be understood that the rails can be'otherwise connected, as by means of direct welding. Fur- 85 thermore the rails may be laid so as to have their end faces in abutting contact only when fully expanded.

I claim:

1. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails 40 having abutting ends, said rails having. ball and web portions, and means for securing said rails to ether, the end faces of the ball portions 0 said rails being cut away near their upper edges, the remaining faces 'of said ball portions being in abutting contact when the rails are fully expanded.

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having adjacent, ends, said rails having ball and web portions, the end portion of the ball of one rail having its upper surface formed of a layer of metal substantially harder than the remaining metalof the rail, the end edge of said la er being cutback from the remain-.

ing end ace of said rail, and means for securin said rails together.

3. grail joint comprising a pair of rails having adjacent ends, said rails having ball and web portions, the ball of one rail having its end metal w ch is harder than the other metal of the rail, the edge of said layer being cut back from theremaining end face of said rail thereby forming a notch at the junction between the rails, and means for securing said rails together.

cannot come into direct contact and there-- Thus the plcimtion including an upper layer of 4. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having adjacent ends, said rails having ball and web portions, the ball of each rail having its end ortion includin an upper layer of metal w ch is harder t an the other metal of the rail, the opposed edges of the layers bein cut back from the end faces of the rails there y forming a notch'at the junction between the rails, and means for securing said rails together.

5. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having ends 'in abutting contact, said rails having ball and web portions, the ball of each rail having its end portion including a la er of alloy metal substantially harder and issimilar to the other metal of the rails, the opposed edges of said layers being cut back from theend faces of the rails thereby forming a notch at the junction between the rails, and means for securing said rails together.

6. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having abutting ends, said rails having ball and-web portions, and means forsecuring said railstogether, the end face of the ball portion of one rail being cut away near its upper edge, the remaining face of said ball portion being in abutting contact with the opposed face of the ball portion of the other rail, when the rails arefully expanded.

7. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having adjacent ends, said rails having ball and web portions, the ball of each rail having 1 its end portion including an upper layer of weldmetal, the edge of one layer being cut back from the end-face of the rail, thereby forming a notch at the junction between the rails, said notch extending downwardly from the upper face of each rail a distance which is a minor portion of the depthof the rail ball portions.

8. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having. adjacent ends said rails having ball and web portions, the ball of each rail having its end ortion including an upper layer of metal w ich is harder than the other metal of the rail,'the opposed edges of the layers bein cut back from the end faces of the rails,

there y forming a notch at the junction between the rails, said notch extending downwardly from the upper face of each rail, a distance which is a minor portion of the depth of the rail ball portions.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto placed m hand.

y ARCHIE W. McCLARY.. 

